Mechanical Clown

Ji Xun quickly surveyed their surroundings. This was a mechanical-themed secret room.

Besides their cage, there were two other iron cages.

Each iron cage held two people.

In one iron cage were acquaintances: the Bald Captain of the Blackwater Mercenary Group who had escaped earlier, and one of his subordinates.

The other iron cage contained two strangers, an old man and a young man, both dressed in black suits.

They weren't even wearing gas masks, clearly showing the youth's arrogance and the old man's subservient demeanor.

Chu Jiu recognized them and whispered, "The Fourth Young Master of the Cao Family from Sinless City."

"Oh?"

Ji Xun's brow twitched. He murmured, "Looks like these two triggered the hidden alternate dimension event before."

Compared to the bewildered mercenaries, these two, master and servant, were clearly prepared. They appeared calm, as if anticipating something.

Furthermore, they hadn't seen any trace of these two along the way, meaning they must have arrived through some special route.

Therefore, it wasn't hard to deduce that these two were the culprits behind the sudden increase in the dimension's difficulty.

Seeing two newcomers, Ji Xun and Chu Jiu, the two mercenaries were also stunned. These guys are still alive?

The Fourth Young Master Cao and his servant also seemed surprised to see Ji Xun and Chu Jiu. Given the current difficulty, having any survivors was already astonishing, and now there were two more.

But they only glanced before dismissing them. Their attention wasn't on people, but on something else.

It looked like some kind of game was about to begin.

With all the players present, the game commenced.

Just then, a grinding sound of gears, "creak, creak," echoed, and all six people looked in unison.

In the center of the iron plate between the three iron cages, a hole suddenly opened, and a rusty Mechanical Clown rose from below.

It wore a clown hat, had a comical red nose, and a curved smiling face.

The red and blue paint had faded, and rust covered it everywhere, bearing the marks of time.

"A clown..."

Seeing the strange Mechanical Clown, a hint of inexplicable familiarity flashed in Ji Xun's eyes.

It had been here for many, many years, waiting in solitude through the long, lonely passage of time for someone to arrive.

As if looking in a mirror, Ji Xun felt a kinship with it, empathizing with that sense of loneliness.

The clown's feet were springs, causing its head to bob and sway, an utterly bizarre and eerie sight.

As everyone was observing the strange Mechanical Clown, it suddenly came to life, cackling, "Welcome to the 'Clown's Terrifying Feast.' This is the final game. If you can pass, you can leave alive."

Its mechanical voice was filled with playful malice and strangeness.

Hearing that they could leave, the six people in the iron cages had varied expressions.

No one believed this final challenge would be easy.

At this moment, the Fourth Young Master Cao, seemingly eager to confirm something, asked, "I want to know, is the 'Cataclysm Source' here?"

He had prepared for so long, all for that item. Now that they were about to leave and he hadn't seen any sign of it, he had to ask.

As soon as he spoke, Ji Xun and Chu Jiu also looked over.

The young master's words were quite veiled.

If Ji Xun and Chu Jiu hadn't seen the relevant files before, they wouldn't have known what he meant by "Cataclysm Source."

Ji Xun clearly remembered a passage in the files: "On May 3rd, Imperial Calendar Year 1141, the 'S-Class Cataclysm Source' was unsealed, and research began."

The source of the entire bunker's cataclysm was, in fact, that "Cataclysm Source."

Even more unexpectedly, the Mechanical Clown actually responded, "Of course. The one who clears the final stage will naturally receive that Epic Source Card."

The clown directly revealed what the Cataclysm Source was.

Ji Xun wasn't surprised by the existence of a final challenge, but this clown seemed to be an intelligent NPC?

So, this was a final boss that didn't require fighting monsters.

Yet, he instinctively felt that this challenge would be even harder.

As it spoke, a hint of inexplicable wickedness and mockery flickered across the clown's expression. "However, only those who are alive will be qualified to know the truth~"

Hearing this, the Fourth Young Master Cao's expression became playful. He had clearly been waiting for this outcome.

Ji Xun didn't know what an "Epic Source Card" was.

The two mercenaries seemed to have never heard of it either, their faces blank with confusion.

But Chu Jiu, standing beside him, clearly knew. She couldn't hide her shock as she murmured, "It actually exists..."

Since he had no idea what a Source Card was, Ji Xun wasn't interested in it for the time being.

He carefully examined the layout before him.

The three iron cages were arranged in a triangular formation. Glancing upwards, as soon as the clown appeared, rows of iron spikes had also revealed their sharp edges.

The iron cage was completely locked, making escape by force impossible.

This meant that if the iron spikes fell, the six people inside the cage would die.

The final trial was not going to be easy.

As soon as the Mechanical Clown finished speaking, a platform slowly rose from within the three iron cages, displaying a colorful revolver that looked like a toy gun.

The clown's chilling voice echoed again.

"The last game is called... the Roulette of Fate."

"Please listen carefully to the game rules."

"1. The revolver before you has one bullet. This is the only way to leave the space; you must fire to leave. 2. You can only shoot at the other person once, and then you switch turns. This continues until someone dies, and the survivor leaves. 3. The iron saw above your heads will descend one meter every fifteen seconds. This means if a life-or-death decision isn't made within one minute, you will all be turned into sieves."

"Please abide by the game rules, or you will all die."

"Alright, the game begins now!"

So, to survive, they had to kill their teammates?

As expected, the final trial was the most difficult.

Ji Xun carefully considered the game rules, a dazed expression in his eyes.

This round tested humanity.

The moment the Mechanical Clown finished speaking, the bald mercenary in the cage snatched the revolver with lightning speed.

His intuition told him that no matter the situation, it was best to hold the initiative.

In the other two cages, neither Ji Xun nor Chu Jiu made a move.

The Fourth Young Master Cao and the old man also remained still.

Clearly, they all felt this trial was not as simple as it appeared.

They were all waiting.

Waiting to find another way out.

Another point was that they were all waiting for the bald man and the other mercenary to test the game rules first.

However, not long after the clown announced the start of the game, a harsh grinding sound of metal echoed, "Ka-cha." The iron spikes above rapidly descended a significant distance, reminding them to make a decision quickly, or everyone would die.

With the threat of death hanging over them, the bald mercenary felt cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

He held the revolver, unable to overcome the fear of death in his heart. He shouted, "Brother, I'm sorry!"

Then, he decisively pulled the trigger.

"Ka-cha."

The hammer struck with a crisp sound, and the mercenary opposite him visibly flinched.

However, no bullet was fired.

It was a blank!

But it wasn't over yet.

After the bald man's first shot was a blank, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and he decisively pulled the trigger again, attempting a second shot.

Ji Xun, watching this scene of brothers turning on each other from not far away, found it quite interesting.

He had already witnessed the bald man's ruthlessness and cunning before. His teammate in the same cage never expected that their captain, whom he considered a brother unto death, would try to kill him!

However, strangely, no matter how hard the bald man tried, the trigger wouldn't budge.

At this moment, the colorful revolver disappeared from his hand and reappeared on the table.

The mercenary opposite him snatched it up, his eyes filled with ruthlessness and determination. Since you fired first, don't blame me!

He pointed the gun at the bald man and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"Ka-cha."

Fate, like a clown, enjoyed toying with people.

Another blank shot.

The turn came again.

The bald mercenary's entire body trembled as he heard the gun cock.

When he realized he was still alive, he was overjoyed, and quickly grabbed the revolver again.

As if racing against death, he gave his teammate no chance to react and decisively pulled the trigger a second time.

This time, with a "bang," flames erupted from the muzzle, and the mercenary opposite him fell to the ground.

Seeing this, the bald man's pupils dilated, and he gasped for air. After a moment of stunned silence, a look of ecstatic relief washed over his face.

The joy of snatching his life back from the jaws of death made him burst into uncontrollable laughter: "Hahaha!"

At this very moment, a distorted light portal appeared above the corpse. The bald man saw the opportunity; he could leave.

"I can really escape this hellhole!"

The Bald Captain's heart soared with joy.

The shadow of death had loomed over them the entire journey, and finally, this damned alternate dimension was over.

But that's just how human nature worked.

With the threat to his life gone, he started thinking about other things.

Earlier, that Mechanical Clown had mentioned "Cataclysm Source" and "Source Card."

All signs pointed to this alternate dimension hiding some supreme treasure.

Greed flared up, and he immediately felt that coming here on a near-death trip was too much to just leave empty-handed.

However, in that split second of hesitation, a cold, disdainful sneer echoed in his ears: "What, you still want to stay here?"

The Fourth Young Master Cao saw through the Bald Captain's thoughts and warned him coldly, "If you hesitate for even another second, I guarantee my Cao Family will have your Blackwater Mercenary Group erased from Sinless City!"

"..."

That threat felt even more potent than the revolver from before. The burly Bald Captain's eyelids twitched violently, and he shivered in fear.

In an instant, he understood what "Cao Family" signified.

This young master was the "behind-the-scenes boss" who had hired their Blackwater Mercenary Group.

Although he hadn't known his identity before, the Captain had spoken to this boss with a bowed back, meaning it could only be the Cao Family from the Upper City Governor's Mansion.

If this young master died, he wouldn't fear any threats.

But with two people, either this young master or the butler would definitely make it out alive.

By then, even if he truly obtained some treasure as a reward, he wouldn't have the life to enjoy it.

The Bald Captain was also one to adapt to circumstances. In an instant, he weighed the pros and cons and immediately put on a fawning smile, "Young Master, we didn't mean anything by it. We just wanted to ask if you wanted to..."

Fourth Young Master Cao cut him off with disdain: "Scram!"

"Yes."

The Bald Mercenary had intended to curry favor, but hearing those words, he could only offer a sheepish smile and turn to leave.

He walked towards the distorted portal of light and vanished.

Killing a comrade really did allow one to leave.

The remaining four had witnessed firsthand the scene of their comrades turning on each other in a life-or-death struggle.

They also understood that following the game's rules could indeed save their lives.

However, before they could ponder further, in that brief moment of delay, with a "clang," the iron spikes from above descended another large section.

With only thirty-odd seconds left, if nothing was done, everyone in the cage would die together.

Ji Xun, however, remained unhurried, watching with amusement as the master and servant prepared to make their choice.

Chu Jiu also didn't grab the revolver, seemingly lost in thought.

The master and servant pair also remained still.

Everyone had guessed that there would be other options for this stage.

After a few more breaths, the Fourth Young Master Cao finally picked up the revolver and examined it.

The gun seemed fine, but he felt something was off.

The old man opposite had no intention of snatching it and simply stood quietly.

But he didn't fire either. He carefully observed something, then glanced at the Mechanical Clown not far away, deep in thought.

A few breaths later, the iron spikes from above dropped another section.

The elder finally couldn't help but urge, "Young Master, please shoot quickly, or it will be too late. If it doesn't work this time, we can try again next time we enter."

The iron spikes above creaked ominously, like a countdown to their lives, urging the four to make a decision quickly.

As a servant of the Cao Family, he had already accepted his resolve to die.

Was this the only way?

Although the Fourth Young Master Cao realized this method was likely wrong, he had no other choice.

Indeed, as the old servant said, if it didn't work this time, they could always come back again.

Since they had already figured out most of this alternate dimension, they could take their time figuring it out once they got out.

With that thought, the Fourth Young Master Cao made his decision and decisively raised the gun, pulling the trigger.

"Click!"

It was an empty shot.

The game rule was that one could only shoot the other person once.

This time, it was the elder's turn to pick up the revolver.

Ji Xun and Chu Jiu watched, wondering if the scene of a servant killing his master would unfold.

However, what the two of them didn't expect was that the elder, upon picking up the revolver, didn't aim at the opposite person but unhesitatingly shot himself in the head.

"Click." Another misfire.

The old man placed the firearm on the display stand in front of him and urged, "Young Master, please hurry and shoot."

Suicide?

Seeing this, Ji Xun's expression turned solemn.

Whether it was misguided loyalty or something else, loyalty was worthy of respect.

If the old man chose this path, then the young master would surely survive.

It was, in a way, adhering to the game's rules.

His old servant chose to sacrifice himself, yet Young Master Cao showed no change in expression. He took the revolver and pulled the trigger again.

"Bang!"

A bullet shot out from the barrel.

A bloody hole appeared in the old man's forehead, and he fell to the ground.

A distorted portal of light appeared above the corpse.

Looking at the body on the ground, Fourth Young Master Cao's expression remained largely unperturbed.

He didn't linger on the sight, nor did he choose to leave. Instead, he turned his gaze towards Ji Xun and the other person inside the cage.

Now, it's your turn.

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Thanks to 'Little Lobster Lord' and 'Jack Sue' for their generous support~